1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a base server apparatus, a communication method, a storage medium that stores a communication control program, a distribution system, and a communication system, and particularly to a base server, a communication method, a communication control program product, a distribution system, and a communication system for distributing data to multiple terminals.
2. Description of Related Art
A video distribution service like a video streaming distribution continues to grow. As the next service after the IP (internet Protocol) broadcasting, the time-shifted service (which enables to pause live video and then view from the timing at the time of the pause) is attracting attention. If there is only IP broadcasting that uses multicast, the load of the network will not increase along with an increase in the number of viewers. However, in order to implement the time-shifted service that attracting attention, a unicast communication is required for each viewing terminal requesting the time-shifted service. This causes to generate the load of the network according to the number of the viewing terminals. Therefore, a structure is required beyond the existing framework which has been providing the service in a single base.
Japanese Patent No. 3098491 discloses a live playing technique that accumulates video data in a storage device such as a hard disk and at the same time, distributes the latest video to a video player apparatus as quickly as possible.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-230123 discloses a technique attempting to distribute the load at the time of starting to view a live program, and even if a viewer wishes to view from the middle the live program, the technique enables the viewer to view the program from the beginning using the time-shifted technology.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-112167 discloses a technique to record distributed live video and view the recorded video backward in time.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-318250 discloses a technique to start recording live content at the time of starting to distribute the live content, and manage information including a viewer's ID and stopped time, so that even after a viewer stops to view the live content, the viewer can view the video after being stopped if the viewer wishes to resume viewing the video.